Hello!
I hope you’ve had a great summer and managed to enjoy a break. The bushfire emergency is a constant reminder of the growing impact of climate change on our lives. Despite this, I’m determined to stay optimistic about the positive change we can create locally, joining with cities and their citizens around the world.
This week I hosted an afternoon tea for young Hobartians who attended the recent UN Climate Convention negotiations and organised the School Strike for Climate.
It’s inspiring to support their action - their motivation is a strong antidote to feeling powerless about climate worries.
Life in a flammable landscape
An undeniable aspect of summer in Hobart is our greater vulnerability to bushfires than any other Australian capital city. We are lucky to be able to live close to nature but this comes with risks that must be managed, and brings extra responsibilities for governments and citizens.
This financial year, Council iwill spend $1.9 million on bushfire preparedness. This includes the cost of specialist staff, undertaking hazard reduction burns, maintaining an extensive network of accessible fire trails, and creating new fire breaks around the city.
Recently we approved new green fire breaks in Fern Tree which will be the first time many of these areas have been treated for fire. The landscape will look damaged initially, but the breaks will be designed to retain the large canopy trees and ecological values.
The key to living in our flammable landscape is managing fuels and stopping wildfires from starting or spreading. I'm confident that our team at Hobart City Council is working effectively to reduce the threat of fire to the city. You can read more here.
Lord Mayor's car and chauffeur
I’ve decided to end one of the long-standing perks of the Lord Mayor’s job: a chauffeur-driven car. I’m keen to spare ratepayers the $33,000 annual cost of driving the Lord Mayor to appointments and meetings.
There are more affordable and sustainable transport options available to do my job - like using my own car, taxis or Uber, walking, catching a bus or riding a bike. The retired chauffeur-driven mayoral car, a black Holden Caprice, has been sold at auction for $27,500, which will be returned to Council’s budget.
photo of West Hobart wombat crossing by Robert Gavin
First Hobart wombat!
After more than a decade of asking for one, the residents of West Hobart finally have a proper pedestrian crossing on Hill Street! The new crossing is the first of its kind in Hobart. Known as a ‘wombat’ crossing, it is gently raised to slow drivers and put walkers in a safer position.
Local Councils across Australia have been using wombat crossings to increase road safety, after a national study in the Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety showed that wombat crossings reduce road deaths and serious injuries by as much as 63 per cent.
Two more crossings are planned in Hill Street in the coming year, which will make it a safer and easier place for kids to walk to school, and for everyone to enjoy walking around their beautiful corner of Hobart.
Building height limits - why 45 metres?
2018 ended with uncertainty around height limit rules for central Hobart. It was disappointing to hear state Ministers, property developer lobbyists and others react hysterically to a Planning Committee recommendation to simply maintain, clarify and reinforce height limits at their current levels.
The overwhelming message I receive from people in Hobart is the desire to maintain the city’s low-rise, heritage capital character. Our existing height rules of 45 metres (15 storeys) in the inner city blocks are just four years old and were set with this character in mind. Also considered was our location in the world at 40 degrees south and the impact of taller buildings on sunshine and wind in our streets.
Suggestions that setting height rules might impact on Hobart’s housing availability and affordability were an unfortunate and ill-informed distraction.
Hobart residents have been advocating for maximum height limits for some time and rightly point out that without firm limits being better articulated in law, we will continue to get over-the-top proposals way out of scale with Hobart’s character.
However, the Council was not ready to set maximum height limits at this stage, with a majority of Aldermen/Councillors voting to defer a decision until a study is undertaken into the economic, social, affordable housing and environmental impacts of a number of height limit scenarios.
I did not support this decision to delay setting firm height limits, as the planning law amendment process would have allowed all these issues to be explored via submissions and public hearings in the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
The arguments that try to link height limits with housing affordability are simplistic. Our current housing challenges are a result of a range of factors including:
conservative and limited strategic planning for population change;
falling investment in public housing (we have 192 public housing dwellings per 1000 low-income households, compared to a national average of 225);
limited investment in student housing by UTAS for many years (which is now changing);
tax arrangements that disadvantage first home buyers;
a boom in visitor accommodation has seen 900 homes being listed on AirBnb, many of which have been removed from the rental market;
rental properties being lost to commercial properties;
a labour shortage in our building sector - planning approvals are up but dwelling completions have been lower in Tasmania than in any other state or territory over the past decade.
Increasing density and building more apartments in Hobart certainly forms one part of the answer for tackling our current housing squeeze, but density does not have to be achieved simply by approving taller buildings.
Medium-rise, medium-density developments (3-7 storeys) can achieve greater housing supply and choice in our city, while keeping Hobart’s character.
What’s next? The Hobart not Highrise group have called for a Council-sponsored public meeting to agree on a proposal to take to an elector poll. Anyone interested in future height rules in Hobart should attend to ensure you have your say in the direction of their campaign.
Bring back the ferries!
In mid-January the Council sponsored a ferry to travel between Bellerive and the city waterfront, when the road was closed for installation of the new pedestrian/cycle bridge. The service was a hit, with 3000 journeys taken by people enjoying the free ferry ride.
It’s a reminder how popular ferries are with the Hobart community as a method of transport. While it's the state government that has the budget and responsibility to provide public transport in Hobart, the Council can sponsor some specialty services. We are investigating if a Saturday ferry between the city and Bellerive could become a regular feature of summer in Hobart. I’ll keep you posted!
What do you think about parking meters?
Over the last few weeks, Council’s new parking meters have generated a lot of community discussion. Teething issues with the installation of new equipment is predictable, but it’s clear that some people have found the machines complex and confusing.
These meters are used in a large number of Australian cities. While they have as many buttons as an ATM, there are simple instruction signs on the side of each meter. Unfortunately these signs were introduced a few weeks after installation, and Council could have invested more resources on communications.
Every day there are around 5,000 transactions happening with the new meters, with 68 percent of people still using coins. The new meters now allow for credit cards, which people have asked Council to introduce for many years. There is also an app called EasyPark, which if you download to your phone allows you to pay for your parking time without using the meters.
One thing I initially found tricky with the new meters was that, before I entered my bay number, I needed to ‘wake up’ the meter. I learned that I can do this by pressing any key. I also allow just a second or two for the meter to process each step before I press new buttons.
The Council purchased a mix of meters with both colour and black-and-white screens. The colour screens are definitely easier to read, particularly in north-facing locations. Recently Council announced plans to change many of the black-and-white screens to colour.
More information is here, or if you'd like to drop in and ask questions, there'll be a meter with a helpful staff member at the following locations from 11am-1pm on these dates:
21 + 23 February Salamanca Square
26 + 28 February Franklin Square
5 + 7 March Wellington Court
Keen to see more trees in your street?
In the last term of Council I advocated for a Street Tree Strategy, and we set a goal to increase trees from the current 16 percent canopy cover to 40 percent by 2045.
There's still a lot of work to do because 52 percent of Hobart streets have no trees at all! It's time to start implementing our plan. Please help us with street tree planning by letting us know if you would like trees in your street.
Visit this page to place markers on an interactive map to show where you'd like street and park trees to be planted. Your nominations will be used to develop a tree planting program.
Save these dates!
Friday 15 March
Lord Mayors' Lunchtime Forum - hear about inspiring climate action from capital city mayors, Town Hall
Wednesday 27 March
'Green Fire Breaks in Hobart' forum, Town Hall
I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions, and receive your feedback about Council decisions.
Please email me at ald.reynolds@hobartcity.com.au Call me on 0423222149
Write to me at Town Hall, Macquarie Street, Hobart 7001
Authorised by Anna Reynolds, Town Hall, Hobart.
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